Road kill or road warriors?

Calgary Flames coach Brent Sutter paces behind the bench during third period action between the Calgary Flames and the Dallas Stars in Calgary at the Pengrowth Saddledome Feb 11/10.
Flames lost to Dallas 3-1. JIM WELLS/ CALGARY SUN

As much as NHL players say they’re only looking at the schedule one game at a time, all the Calgary Flames knew this was coming.

Starting with Tuesday night’s clash in Nashville against the Predators, the Flames have a stretch of 11 of 13 games on the road — and in 24 days. It includes two trips to the Eastern time zone — once to the Gulf of Mexico and another to the Atlantic Ocean’s Eastern Seaboard.

“We’ll see what we’re made of,” Flames winger Alex Tanguay said Monday. “We have to keep on improving on the things we’ve been doing better and improving on the things we haven’t been doing well, like the powerplay and some other stuff. Hopefully, that will get us the results we’re looking.

“We’d certainly like to be in a playoff position come Christmas-time.”

RIDING HIGH

At least the Flames head into this stretch feeling good about their game, having a 6-1-1 mark and on the first three-game winning streak of the season.

“It’s more than three games. We’ve been playing well a couple of weeks, where overall our game has improved,” said Flames captain Jarome Iginla. “We’ve had more composure, are a lot more confident and are moving better — not just as individuals but as a group.”

ICE CHIPS

RW Rene Bourque is the latest Flames player bitten by the flu bug. Tanguay returned for Monday’s practice after a bout with the illness but Bourque missed the morning session. Fresh off a two-game demotion to the AHL’s Abbotsford Heat, C Roman Horak skated in Bourque’s place on the second line … RW David Moss (foot) practised in a yellow caution jersey and will accompany his teammates on the trip … After a conditioning stint in the AHL, D Brett Carson (back spasms) declared he’s ready for his first game of the season, although he’ll likely be a spectator in Nashville.